By executing a power of attorney for finances (also referred to as a durable power of attorney for finances) you could dictate whom you want to make decisions about your legal and financial matters. You can be very specific about what actions you are authorizing your partner (or other agent) to make, including which accounts he or she has access to and types of decisions he or she can make.

Note that Legal Helper Corp.(http://www.legalhelper.net) provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed power of attorney for any occasions.

More often than objectionable advertising, I see advertising that is not cost-effective. Advertising is too costly for you to be careless in your selections. Beware, particularly, of using an advertising agency that is not familiar with legal market. Ad agencies will almost certainly steer you to run display ads, which are effective for only a small percentage of expert witnesses, and only in specific situations. Agencies love to create display ads, because they tap their creative juices and usually merit large commissions.

How Much to Spend on Advertising

You will experience greater results from your advertising outlay if you regard it as a long-range investment rather than an immediate expense. Experts’ budgets for advertising range from zero to approximately 15% of revenue and occasionally more. In beginning of your practice, before you have much revenue, advertising is pure investment.

No one can advise you exactly how much to spend on advertising. Although you should notice where your competitors advertise, do not fall into trap of matching their outlay. Your practice is unique. You may concentrate on other forms of marketing, such as building a superior referral system, or working twice as hard at networking.

Be diligent in asking others what works for them, and learn as you build your practice. It requires investigation and experience to determine what works for your professional practice area, your personality, your geographic region, and your target audience. And, like everything else in life, it can change over time.

Types of Advertising

The most cost-effective advertising for expert witnesses is advertising with an extended shelf life such as resume directories, and advertising that provides frequent and consistent exposure, such as classified ads and Internet advertising. Directory listings are so important that a complete chapter is devoted to them. Internet marketing also is discussed in its own chapter.

Standard advertising is of two primary types – display and classified. It runs in newspapers, magazines, journals, and specialty publications such as jury verdict reports. Display and classified ads are different from each other in both purpose and design, which will be covered in Part 2 of this series.

by Rosalie Hamilton, the Expert on Expert Witness Marketing and author of The Expert Witness Marketing Book. Other articles on this and related topics can be found at www.expertcommunications.com